What Child is This?
by Mokibobolink
Summary: Days before Christmas the crew of Serenity find an orphaned child on a derelict ship. When Wash and Zoe begin to care for the child it brings up complications for the couple as Wash has to deal with a painful incident from his past COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

_Hello All, _

_Well here's a new story. I thought of this story while listening to Christmas carols recently and decided to explore the whole idea of Wash and Zoe and the great "baby debate". This is not a sequel to my last story and it takes place at some point during the series. It is obviously pre-Serenity._

_More to come on this one so please read and review and tell me what you think so far!_

_-Moki_

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

It was just a week before Christmas and most everyone aboard the Firefly was getting excited. The crew of Serenity had turned into quite a little family and there was a buzz in the air as people figured out gifts to buy when planet-side or ones to make for others.

Kaylee and River had even decided to decorate the mess hall and adjoining lounge area. With some suggestions from Inara they had constructed colored paper rings and strung them about the whole place giving it a festive feel. Shepherd Book had read that on Earth That Was people used to bring live coniferous trees into their homes and decorate them with small ornaments and lights. So the very next time they had landed Wash took it upon himself to secure an axe from the cargo hold and trudged out to find one. He came back with what could only be called a bush but the girls were delighted and he was hugged by both upon his triumphant return with it.

Mal usually didn't give a rat's rear about the holidays one way or the other but this year was different. He was pretty happy with his crew/family and as he watched the others get ready he found himself getting excited too. He told everyone that they were going to take a week off starting a couple days before Christmas and he wasn't going to plan any jobs during that time. He got more hugs with that announcement than Wash had gotten for the tree. Not that he was counting of course.

In fact they just had this last job to do and once they completed it in the next couple days they were done and the real festivities could begin. Inara and Simon had been planning the meal for weeks and had gotten everyone to scrape together the cashy-money for some real food. They were keeping it locked safely away until the big day as Jayne made it clear he wasn't all that shy about taking his share anytime he saw fit.

The morning of the last job before Christmas Mal sat in the co-pilot's seat watching the stars fly by as Wash flew them deftly to their next destination. He noticed the pilot was humming a little tune and Mal was pretty sure it was a Christmas carol. When he realized it, he smiled to himself.

They were heading to a newly derelict ship to harvest anything of use from it. Sometimes they did this if they just happened upon a wreck but this time it was actually legitimate work. Boats like his were sometimes hired out on the fringes of space to handle jobs like these when the owners of the ruined ships didn't have the manpower or vehicles to send any of their own people to deal with the problem.

This current job was pretty simple. A small transport ship had come into some trouble on its way to a moon with about five families aboard. Apparently there had been sickness and most had gotten away on shuttles to nearby hospitals. The rest, unfortunately, had succumbed to the illness and now the ship was limping helplessly in space. Mal and his crew were to collect the bodies of the dead (everyone aboard Serenity had already been inocc'd against the illness as a precaution) and gather anything they could for scrap. Ships like those weren't worth towing back as they were usually geared up for one trip anyway. But the owners who had bought it to ship out some new crews to a factory on the moon could make back some of their money by scraping anything they could from it. The families of those that perished were paying for funerals so this time the bodies needed to be collected as well. Many times on jobs like these Mal and his crew would simply do a small ceremony and send them out into the peace of space.

"We're here captain" Wash said and Mal looked up from his musings to see that they were closing fast on a small ship straight ahead.

"Tell the rest of the crew that we're here. Once you've got Serenity secured with their airlock come on down to the cargo bay" and Wash nodded an affirmative as he started the docking sequence. In the interest of getting this job done quickly so that they could be done with it sooner, the entire crew was going to help. Even Inara had volunteered to go aboard. After Mal gave the order to Wash he headed out of the cockpit. As he walked out of the door to the stairs he heard Wash make the announcement to the rest of the ship and heard movement below as the others assembled in the cargo bay.

"Alright people" he announced when everyone had arrived. Wash was trotting down from the helm so Mal waited a second so his pilot could hear what he had to say. "This is gonna be easy. Everyone knows what they're supposed to do so let's just go and do this quick. Let's go over it once again so that everyone knows exactly what they're doing" Having the whole crew help out was a little unusual for Mal so he was being extra careful to ensure that everyone knew their jobs. When he went out with just himself, Zoe and Jayne he didn't usually feel the need to go over things as much as those two could handle anything that came up.

"Jayne, Zoe, you two take Wash, Inara and River through the cargo hold and start loading up everything in the guest quarters and the galley" Zoe nodded in terse acknowledgement of the order and Jayne cocked his gun. Mal had told him he wouldn't need more than one or two weapons at the most. But the man didn't seem to be able to go much of anywhere without at least five so Mal had finally just let the matter drop.

"Shepherd Book and Simon go to the Infirmary and start securing the bodies. Once you have them in body bags just call out to the rest of us and those of us on body detail (which happened to be all the men) will come help. After that you two collect any medicines and doctoring equipment and head on back. Kaylee and I will go to the engine room and get anything we can and also see to it that the ship is ready for burial once we leave" "Burial" of a ship simply meant blowing it to smithereens but Mal liked the plebeian term better.

Once everyone was reminded of what they needed to do Wash popped the airlock and everyone went off in their separate directions.

Jayne took point and Zoe followed behind with Wash, Inara and River in the middle as they headed to the guest quarters. This amused Wash to no end as everyone knew that this was an abandoned ship and the chances of any danger were basically slim to none. But he admired his wife for her strength and training and it tickled him to watch her work like this. So often he was left behind on missions (which was for the best, he knew that without a doubt) which meant he got to miss her being her "warrior woman" self. He liked it and he liked it a lot. Zoe caught him grinning at her and briefly smiled back at her husband.

Soon they reached the guest's quarters and Wash keyed in the codes provided by them that did the hiring. The locks on all the doors turned green at once and everyone headed into the first one together. They started loading up what was to be saved and moved onto the next room with hardly a word. They worked well as a team and in no time they had gone through four of the rooms. Lugging a huge bag over his shoulder Jayne went first into the last room, the rest following close behind. In fact they were so close behind him that when the big man stopped suddenly it created a traffic jam as everyone ran right into each other.

"Gorramit Jayne" Wash said as he was smashed into the other man's back with Inara squashed behind him in the doorway. "Can you move already?"

But Jayne didn't budge and suddenly Zoe's voice was heard behind them all. "Everyone back!" she said and pushed her way forward. She had no idea what was stopping Jayne but she wasn't about to take any chances. Zoe reached the front of the line and slipped behind her husband to come up on Jayne's right side. She squeezed passed him and then she too stopped dead in her tracks. From behind them all came River's voice.

"Alone" River said "All alone. Tried to cry, tried to tell, but no one came, no one to hear"

"Is that what I think it is?" Jayne asked Zoe when she reached his side. Zoe mumbled something in reply that sounded like an affirmative.

Wash was beginning to get a little tired of this whole game. He didn't think that anything in that room could be dangerous because if there was a killer in there, they would have killed them already. With Inara and River following close behind he came up behind his wife and the mercenary and also stopped in his tracks. He felt rather than saw River and Inara do the same.

For there lying in a small cradle in the middle of the room before them was a baby. He was quiet but definitely alive as his eyes were wide open and watching them all closely. None of them spoke for what seemed like a full minute and then finally someone moved.

Surprisingly (considering there were two trained warriors in the room) it was Wash who recovered from the shock first and reached for the babe. Gathering the warm bundle tenderly in his arms, he adjusted the blankets to keep the infant from getting cold.

"Well, hello there young man" Wash said jovially, bouncing the little one up and down gently. Tiny blue eyes peered up at him and a little fist came out of the blanket and reached for his shirt.

"My name's Wash and it looks like your name is Caleb" he said, noting that a name was sewn into the blanket when he picked the baby up out of the cradle.

Everyone continued to stare in silence, including Zoe. She and Wash had discussed having children and he had always been adamant against it. That he would act this way with a child had never even occurred to her.

Wash looked up from the baby to find everyone staring at him and was puzzled.

"What?" he asked the group at large. "Hasn't anyone ever seen a baby before?"

"Well I seen one but I ain't never seen a man know how to care o'one as if'in he were a woman or something" Jayne replied.

Wash rolled his eyes and ignored him. He noted that Zoe was giving him the strangest look but as soon as she caught him watching her she quickly looked the other way. Deciding to ignore her for now Wash thought it was time to get moving once again. This was certainly a new development but nothing they couldn't handle, he was sure. Since they had been hired by the families for retrieval of the bodies, there was sure to be family for this little orphaned boy.

"Well I guess we should take this little guy to the doc and see what he's got to say" Wash started walking to the airlock to get back to Serenity and the Infirmary, the others finally deciding to move and trailing behind like goslings.

Zoe called over the 'com unit on her shoulder as they walked and informed the captain that they were finished in the guest's quarters. She then informed him that they would be needing the services of the doctor.

"What? Why? Did someone get hurt?" Mal asked and stopped what he was doing. Kaylee stopped too and looked at him questioningly as he waited for Zoe's reply.

"No sir" Zoe replied. "Looks like we found a survivor"


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello All, _

_Well as it turns out I had some more time and managed to do some "tweaking" on this story. So here is another chapter. I'm having lots of fun with this one and I hope everyone enjoys it! _

_-Moki_

_-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Once Mal was reassured that no one on his crew was sick or injured he ordered Simon back to the ship. He called back everyone else but Wash (who was waiting for the doctor with the child in the Infirmary) to the derelict to finish the work. The faster they got this done the better in his opinion, baby or no baby.

There wasn't much left to do and the entire job was done within another hour or so. Mal stood at the airlock and counted heads as everyone returned to the ship, making sure that no one was left behind. The bodies were stowed in their carefully sealed containers and the rest of the things they could salvage were stacked in the cargo hold. Once assured that everyone had returned and nothing else was needed from the derelict he called Wash from the Infirmary. The pilot then disengaged Serenity from the other ship and took them a safe distance away as Mal released the charges they had put on it.

The two of them watched from the cockpit as the other ship exploded silently in front of the window, the bright light it created making them both squint.

"Alright well now that the job is done let's go see about that little guest you brought aboard my boat" Mal and said.

"What? Don't you like passengers?" Wash asked with a mischievous grin.

"Only paying ones" Mal replied and laughed as they both knew he was kidding. Mal was actually very interested in the little tyke. He had already sent out a message to the hiring company about the baby and was waiting to hear back from them. He had been told when they got hired that the ship was newly derelict but still, that child had to have been alone for at least a day or two. Any baby that could survive that was a baby Mal wanted to meet.

Wash walked behind the captain back to the Infirmary. They could hear the baby crying as they approached and Wash felt for little Caleb. Simon was probably poking him with needles and cold instruments and Wash knew from experience that was never fun.

The baby was lying on the exam table when the two men entered the rather crowded room. All the girls were inside while Book and Jayne had been relegated to watching through the windows. Everyone, it seemed, was interested in their new passenger.

Mal approached the doctor as it appeared Simon was almost finished. He was thinking of where the baby should stay while they waited for relatives of those who perished on the sickened ship. If the baby was ill then he probably would need to be tended to by Simon, he reckoned.

"I guess he should stay in here, doc?" Mal asked as Simon finally finished up his exam on the baby.

"Well there's nothing wrong with him as far as I can see" Simon said over the screams of a very upset infant, protesting the pokes and prods he'd just received from the doctor. "Other than early signs of some malnutrition he's in perfect health. I don't really think that he needs to stay here in the Infirmary"

"Oh, I'll take care of him if you like captain" Kaylee spoke up quickly. "Had me a mess o'brothers and sisters back at home so I'm used to changing diapers and the like. At least until we find his kin" She reached for the baby and picked him up off the examining table. Unfortunately this made him scream louder and she started rocking him to try and comfort him. But it didn't work and Caleb continued to cry piteously.

Simon watched this thoughtfully. Caleb had been blissfully quiet when he'd arrived in the Infirmary with Wash and remembering this made Simon think. Even after a rough exam any child should be comforted by being picked up but Caleb was showing no signs of letting up. Seeing this, Simon had an idea and decided to try it out.

"Kaylee" Simon said over the din "Why don't you give him to Wash for a second?"

Kaylee looked puzzled but obediently walked over to Wash and handed the baby to him. Wash took the boy and put him against his shoulder, patting his back. Almost instantly Caleb quieted down and everyone could hear themselves think again.

"Well I'll be" Mal said in wonder "Looks like you have a magic touch with something more that just the helm of Serenity" Wash just grinned in reply, rocking the baby on his shoulder.

"Actually captain it's pretty easy to explain" Simon said in his usual doctor-like way. "Caleb here was stuck on that ship for a couple days near as I can tell. He was cold, he was hungry and he was completely alone. Wash picked him up and brought him out of that and I think Caleb recognizes him now as a protector and as someone to trust" Simon explained as he put away the instruments he had used to examine the child. He noticed that Kaylee looked a little disappointed.

"Don't worry Kaylee" he said reassuringly "Children are quick to recover from trauma. Once he's had a day or two to adjust I'm sure he'll be as happy as any child his age to have anyone hold him and play with him. He just needs a little time to get used to us all"

"Oh, okay. I hope I didn't scare him none" Kaylee said worriedly as she watched Wash continue to rock Caleb.

"Nope, I can assure you that you didn't. He's reacting in a completely normal manner considering what he's just been through". Simon replied.

"In the meantime" he said, now turning his attention to Wash and Zoe. Both were totally absorbed in the baby and Simon had to clear his throat a bit to get their attention. Mal and Kaylee shared a glance and smiled knowingly at each other. Perhaps the long-standing argument about children on a ship was going to be brought up again with the couple.

"In the meantime" Simon repeated now that he had their attention. "I'm afraid this means that the child should stay with Wash and Zoe for the time being. I hope you two don't mind caring for him"

"Not at all" Wash replied "I think we can handle this little guy for a while. Whattya think Zo?" he asked, turning to his wife.

"Uh yeah…I mean of course" Zoe replied, still giving her husband a very odd look. Everyone in the room seemed to understand why Zoe was so confused except for Wash. Every time he caught her looking at him that way he would give her his "What did I do?" look right back at her. But no matter how many times he did it no answer was forthcoming so Wash decided to ignore it for now.

They headed to their bunk and Wash carefully climbed down the ladder with the baby in his arms. Zoe had gone before him and once he was halfway down he handed Caleb to her. Caleb was calmer with Zoe than he had been with Kaylee but even so, within a few moments was fussing again. Zoe rocked him against her shoulder, talking soothingly.

But the little infant was having nothing of it and soon began howling in earnest.

"Here Zo, I'll take him" Wash said and held out his arms. Zoe passed the squalling infant to him. Within seconds Caleb quieted once again and Zoe looked on in wonder at her husband and the new child.

"There, there little man" Wash said "I think you're just tired, eh?" Simon had already fed and changed him in the infirmary so it was his best guess as to why Caleb was still crying. He gently rocked the baby in his arms, pacing the room back and forth. Zoe noticed that Wash appeared to be right. With each passing moment Caleb's eyes were looking heavier. He looked like he wanted to fight off sleep and she watched as the little one began a battle of wills with his own eyelids. The more they started fall, the more he tried to keep them open. Wash continued to walk back and forth and soon starting humming a little tune to the babe.

Eventually it all was too much and Caleb finally lost the battle. His eyes closed and his head drooped against Wash's shoulder and he was sound asleep. Secretly Zoe admired the little one's fire. She could understand fighting a losing battle and it made her smile to watch Caleb refuse to give up. Even if it was just over a little thing like sleeping or the control of your own eyelids. A battle was still a battle.

Seeing that the bundle in his arms had finally stopped fighting and started sleeping, Wash walked over to the bed and sat down.

"Well I guess since we don't have a crib or anything he'll just have to sleep here with us" he told his wife and proceeded to put the baby down in the middle of the bed. But as soon as Wash's arms let go of him, Caleb started crying again. Smiling ruefully Wash picked him back up and rocked him once again.

"Guess that's not going to work, huh?" Wash grinned at his wife.

Zoe was still reeling from this whole new chain of events but did manage a smile for her husband. Seeing him act this way was really getting to her but she knew she couldn't say or do anything about it now. So she decided to figure out how she could help instead.

"Why don't you just sit down with him?" Zoe said, gesturing at the bed. She could tell Wash was exhausted and she was starting to feel that way herself. All of them could use some sleep and if the baby wouldn't be laid down then they were just going to have to get creative.

Wash sat on the bed and leaned back, Zoe tucking pillows behind him. Caleb was fast asleep again but Wash knew he wouldn't be able to put the baby down. He hadn't ever seen a baby quite this fussy but then again not many babies could have survived what Caleb had been through in the past few days. So if, for now, he needed Wash to hold him to sleep then Wash was going to do it. Zoe did her best to make Wash as comfortable as she could. She took off his shoes and pulled the covers around the two of them to keep them warm. She then got ready for bed herself and got under the covers beside them. Then she kissed her husband and the baby and lay down to sleep. Wash was still sitting up, patting the baby's back as she drifted off.

Zoe woke the next morning and the events of the previous day flooded into her mind. Curious as to how Wash and Caleb made it through the night; she carefully turned over in the bed so as not to wake either if they were still asleep. It occurred to her that she hadn't heard a peep out of the baby all night and she hoped that didn't mean that Wash hadn't slept at all. It turned out she needn't have worried.

Turning over she found her husband sleeping soundly beside her. His hair in complete disarray as it always was in the morning. He wasn't sitting up any longer and she thought for a moment that maybe he had gotten Caleb put down elsewhere. Closer inspection showed however that Caleb was sleeping soundly on Wash's chest. The covers were pulled over them both so that the baby's face stuck out right under Wash's chin.

She smiled at the sight and lay watching them both sleep for a while. She reached up and touched the baby's head and rubbed his back lightly. His little body was warm and solid and she felt him rise and fall rhythmically with Wash's steady breathing. Her heart ached and though she knew why she put the reason out of her mind for the moment (again). Once she could get Wash alone they were going to talk about this whole situation. But not yet.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hello All, _

_Sorry for the delay. Not sure how many heard about it but I actually attended the cancelled Flanvetion II (a Firefly convention) which then became the Browncoat Backup Bash (aka B3) about a week ago. It was a wonderful event but many people became ill afterwards, myself included (so many in fact that lots of people have begun dubbing the illness "The Fillionaire's Disease"). So after being in bed for over a week I finally got a chance to update with a new chapter. My goal is to finish this story right before X-Mas so stay tuned!_

_-Moki_

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After lying comfortably in bed watching Wash and Caleb sleep for awhile, Zoe finally decided that she had to get up. That baby was going to wake soon and when he did he was going to be more than a mite hungry. Not wanting a hungry, angry baby on her hands or at least not two of them (since the term also could be used to describe Wash in the morning before he'd had his breakfast) she quietly got up and got dressed. The doc had said that he would work on a better formula for Caleb using the supplies they had on hand in the galley. They had already fed him some powdered cow's milk the night before but the doc said it was better to give him something with a little more nutrition. So she went to see if she could rustle up some breakfast for him.

Zoe found Simon already awake and in the galley mixing together items from various bottles and boxes surround him. It looked like he had been at it for a while but he still managed to look refreshed as he smiled a greeting.

"Good morning Zoe," Simon said. "How did Caleb sleep last night?"

"Actually near as I can reckon, he slept the whole night through" Zoe replied.

"Good. I think he needed some solid sleep and now I'm sure he'll need a solid meal on top of it," Simon said, mixing a few final ingredients and stirring them in the pot on the stove. "I think I've got this just right and it should be warm enough in a second"

"Thanks Doc," Zoe said and watched as he finished up. After another minute or two he must have decided it was done and turned off the burner. He then taste tested the formula by pouring a little into a glass and trying it himself first. Deciding that it was the right temperature he nodded in satisfaction.

"Zoe could you hand me that bottle please?" Zoe looked around, puzzled. Where in the 'verse had the doc managed to get ahold of a baby bottle? Looking where he was pointing she found her answer and laughed. The doc had obviously disinfected an old beer bottle (with Jayne aboard there were plenty of those lying about) and using the finger from one of his surgical gloves as a nipple, had managed to create a makeshift bottle.

"I know it doesn't look like much," Simon responded to her laughter "But at least it's sterile and he should be able to suckle properly," he said as he started pouring a carefully measured amount of the formula. Finishing up he put on the nipple (or "finger" as it could more appropriately be called) and handed it to Zoe.

"Be sure to let me know exactly how much of this he eats," Simon told her "I'd like him to finish it all but he may not be able to as his stomach may have shrunk a little due to lack of food for so long" Zoe thanked the good doctor and started to head towards the door.

"And don't forget to burp him!" he called after her.

"Don't worry doc. I think we can handle it," Zoe replied.

Zoe headed back to their bunk and heard the crying before she even got into the walkway above all the crew's quarters. Rushing her step she hurried to her bunk and practically flew down the ladder. Once inside she found Wash just finishing changing a very angry Caleb (Kaylee had gathered some clean towels from the extra guest supplies and they were using them as diapers). Wash looked up from what he was doing and was relieved to see his wife.

"Oh, thanks honey" He said as she handed him the bottle "I was hoping you had gone to get that"

"Of course, can't leave a man hungry now can we?" Zoe replied with a slight wink and Wash grinned back. Zoe was proud of herself for doing such a good job at hiding her thoughts. Then again no matter how angry or upset she was, Wash could always make her smile. It was one of the many things she loved about him so much.

"Nope. Nothing worse than a hungry man in the morning, eh Caleb?" he said as he headed to the chair. Sitting down he shifted Caleb in his arms and gently put the bottle to the baby's mouth. Caleb continued to scream for a few more seconds and then realized what was in front of him and began sucking in earnest. Zoe sat on the edge of the chair and watched the two of them. After a while Wash took the bottle from Caleb's mouth and put the baby on his shoulder. Thinking ahead Zoe had already put a spare towel there and Caleb gave a satisfying burp as Wash rubbed his back.

"Yep, sounds like a man alright," Zoe said and Wash laughed.

"Here can you take him?" Wash asked and started to hand the baby over to Zoe "I haven't even been able to visit the latrine or anything"

Zoe took the baby and the bottle and settled down in the chair to continue giving Caleb his breakfast. She was afraid that he would fuss again about being out of Wash's arms but it turned out that his stomach was winning this morning and he happily took the bottle from her. He finished the whole thing after awhile("The doc is gonna be right pleased with you, little one") and she put him on her shoulder for another round of ample burping. Wash finished his morning ablutions (including running a comb through that mess on his head he called hair) and came back to see how they were doing.

"Well I think he's finally getting used to other people now," Wash said as he observed Caleb blissfully playing with Zoe's hair now that his belly was full and his bottom was dry. Zoe giggled a little as he tugged her locks in his chubby fists and tried to put them in his mouth.

"Maybe he'll let Kaylee watch him for a little while as I know the captain is probably wanting a new course set from me and probably needs to see you about some first-mate type business" Wash said and Zoe agreed. They performed the "hand the baby halfway up the ladder routine" in reverse and got Caleb out of their bunk without a fuss. As they did it Zoe couldn't help but to feel that it was coming so easy to them; the whole routine of a baby on a ship. Why couldn't we?...she stopped herself before she could form the thought. She really needed to talk to her husband but, again, now wasn't the time.

They found Kaylee in the galley just finishing up her own breakfast and before Wash could even ask, she was reaching for the baby.

"Hey there Caleb," Kaylee said as she took him from Wash. "Are you full and dry this morning?" Caleb's response was to continue sucking his fist and she laughed. "Yep, I'd say he's pretty happy this morning. You guys did good work"

Kaylee didn't notice Zoe's frown as she had already turned away, busy showing Caleb around the kitchen."I painted these here flowers myself, do ya like'em?"

Zoe and Wash ate quietly without saying anything more than necessary to get through a quick meal. As soon as he was finished, Wash got up and headed out of the kitchen. Zoe saw her chance finally and followed behind him.

Now that they were alone Zoe was ready to ask her husband about the whole situation when they were interrupted.

"Wash" Mal called from the end of hallway. "I need you to lay in a new course. Looks like we're going to take a detour to drop off our new passenger"

Wash had seen how quick Zoe had been to follow him. He could tell that Zoe wanted to talk to him and was only partially paying attention to Mal. When he realized what had just been said he turned away from her and replied to the captain.

"Sure Mal, be right there. I'll see ya later Zo" he told her and walked off.

Zoe looked on puzzled. It wasn't that Wash had been so short that caught her attention. It was the look on his face that she caught when Mal said they were changing course. Did he have a problem changing course? That didn't make any sense, she thought. Then she realized that he hadn't actually looked odd until the captain had mentioned unloading their new passenger. For one second she was sure that he had been visibly upset and obviously it was because of the baby. Why? She wondered.

Zoe sighed as she continued down the walkway. Not being able to get to the bottom of this was really getting to her but still there was nothing she could do about it. But soon enough, she promised herself, I will get that man alone and find out why he's all happy and chipper with the baby one second and acting morose the next.

In the cockpit Wash looked pensive as he sat at the controls. Mal was sitting in the co-pilot's chair, having just finished speaking to them that did the hiring on the last job.

"How long?" Mal asked suddenly.

"Huh?" Wash turned to Mal and the captain could see he was miles away.

"How long till we get to the rendezvous?" Mal asked again.

"Oh," Wash looked at his instruments for a few moments. "Should be about four days before we see them"

Mal couldn't help but to notice that the other man didn't look him in the eye, instead keeping his gaze on the console in front of him.

"Everything okay Wash?" Mal asked worriedly. Last thing he needed was for a pilot not to be on his game. But more than that Wash was his friend and he hoped nothing was wrong between him and Zoe. His first-mate was doing a good job at hiding her thoughts about their new passenger and what his arrival might mean to previous discussions between the couple. But Mal knew that she wasn't doing the best job and if anyone would know that (other than himself) it would be her husband.

"Wha?...Oh yeah Mal, everything's fine," Wash replied but still didn't look at him.

Mal could tell that Wash wasn't ready to talk about anything and knowing that these two needed to handle it themselves, decided to make it that much easier.

"Alright well if the course is set then there's no need for you to stay up here. Why don't you head back to the galley or something?" Mal said and Wash nodded and quietly got up and left. The fact that he didn't fight to stay was all the proof that Mal needed that something was indeed wrong with him. Hopefully he'll go talk to his wife now, Mal thought.

Wash walked back towards his bunk, his head hung and not looking very happy. Suddenly things were taking a turn that he hadn't really expected a scant 24 hours ago. Funny how fast a day could change things.

Zoe was in the cargo bay doing a routine check on the armory and various other items needed in storage to run an operation like theirs. She heard a distinctive step on the walkway above and looked up to see her husband slowly making his way across. She could tell that something was heavy on his mind and was a little surprised that he didn't even seem to notice her presence below him. Normally he would have said something as he passed, even if he couldn't stop due to being in the middle of an assignment or somesuch. For him not to say anything at all was very unusual and finally Zoe decided she'd had enough.

She put down her clipboard and silently followed her husband. After a brief stop in the galley again for a drink of water Wash headed back towards their bunk. Zoe followed him into the galley but kept quiet and let him get his water. Luckily no one else was there or they may have wondered at the odd sight of Wash walking in with Zoe following behind and not seeming to notice her presence at all.

When Zoe saw him head towards their bunk and climb down the ladder she was relieved. She followed behind and found him standing in the middle of the room, his back to her.

"So are you going to tell me what's going on with you or am I going to have to keep guessing?" Zoe asked her husband now that they were alone.

Wash turned at the sound of her voice.

"What do you mean?" Wash asked but Zoe noticed that he avoided her eyes.

"I mean the fact that you and I have spoken about having a baby and you ain't exactly been in agreement with it. Then we find us an orphan child and suddenly you are acting like Dad of The Year or something" Zoe's eyes were beginning to show her fury and Wash was glad that little Caleb was in Kaylee's care at the moment.

"I did what anyone else would do Zo," Wash replied. "There's no need to make this into a bigger issue than it needs to be," Wash said and walked away from her to go sit on their bed. But Zoe was nowhere near finished with this conversation and followed right behind him again.

"Well I gotta tell you husband. I am gonna make it into a big deal. It's starting to look to me like maybe you do want children but I'm beginning to wonder if you just don't want any with me" Zoe told him as she sat in the chair across from the bed.

Wash had been rubbing his hand through his hair, the exhaustion from the previous day's and night's events catching up with him finally. But at her words his hand froze where it was and he looked at her with hurt in his eyes.

"You can't be serious," He said, letting his hand drop to his lap. "Zoe you know I love you with everything I have, every single nook and cranny of my being. How can you possibly say that to me?" Wash was so shocked by her words that tears came to his eyes. How could Zoe, his Zoe, think that he didn't love her enough to want to have children with her?

Zoe sighed. She hadn't meant to hurt Wash. She had just wanted to get his attention so that he'd start telling her the truth. She knew he was hiding something from her and she was angry and had lashed out cruelly. Getting out of the chair she sat next to him on the bed and looked directly into his eyes, putting both hands on his cheeks.

"I'm sorry baby, I didn't mean that. I swear." She said and gently wiped a tear from his face with her thumb. "I just got angry and I wanted to say something that would get your attention." She kissed him lightly and then took both of his hands in hers.

"But you have to understand that I'm a mite confused. I mean if you like children so much and you are so good with them, the why don't you want any?" Zoe finally asked the question that had been haunting her for the past day and was relieved the moment it was out.

"Zo I never said I didn't WANT children," Wash said with a sigh. "I said that I just didn't think this was the kind of life for one. It's too dangerous, the things that we do" Zoe knew that he really meant her more than "we" but didn't say anything and let him continue. "I worry every time you go out with Mal. I worry every time we have a big job to do with new people that might come aboard and hurt us all"

Wash put down Zoe's hands and walked across the room, closing his eyes in frustration. "I don't think I could handle it if anything happened to you and if you add to that the idea of a child and the thought of anything happening to them……" Wash stopped, unable to even finish the thought. He turned and looked back at his wife.

"I couldn't handle it Zo, I just couldn't" He said with a shake of his head. "Not again" He turned away and said it so softly it was almost a whisper.

Zoe's ears snapped to attention at his phrasing. She walked to her husband and found his hands again and held them. "Wash?" She said and squeezed his hands until he looked at her, fresh tears in his eyes.

"What do you mean 'again'?" she asked quietly.


	4. Chapter 4

_Hi All!_

_I know everyone was on tenterhooks waiting to hear what Wash had to say so here ya go. This chapter is a mite shorter than I usually do but I think I'll more than make up for it in the next one which should be the final chapter – unless I think of more of course! LOL!_

_Enjoy!_

_-Moki_

_----------------_

Wash heard Zoe's question but he wasn't sure he was really ready for what was to come next. He knew he couldn't keep putting her off and telling her everything was fine when really it wasn't. Zoe knew him too well and would never be fooled. He'd considered it a small miracle that he'd kept her at bay this long. He felt Zoe's hands squeeze his once again as he looked into her eyes and knew this was it and simply nodded and sighed. He looked away once more and then decided that it was time to get it out. He had kept this secret for far too long. Keeping his wife's hands in his own he lead her back to the bed and sat her down then sat across from her in the chair.

Resting his elbows on his knees he folded his hands together and sat with shoulders hunched for a few moments. He knew Zoe's patience was nearing the end of its tether but he had to gather his thoughts. Finally he scrubbed at his eyes and looked up at his beautiful autumn flower.

"I mean that I've already been through the death of a baby and I can't imagine living through something like that again," Wash said in a rush. Almost as though once he started the statement he had to force himself to keep talking to ensure he wouldn't stop.

Zoe's eyes flew open in surprise and Wash put up a hand immediately as he could see her gathering for an onslaught of questions. He knew without a doubt that if he stopped to answer them now then he would never get to finish this story and now he had to do it, despite the pain reliving this was going to cause him.

"Just let me finish, okay hon?" he asked her and Zoe nodded dumbly and let Wash continue.

"I've always told you that I was an only child but the truth is; that is only partially right. I was raised by my mom on a planet as dirty and grimy as the day is long. My dad left the both of us when I was still in swaddling so I don't remember anything about him" Zoe thought she caught a slight look of anger at that but he moved on so quickly she wasn't sure. Suddenly she realized that he'd never mentioned his father before, at least not directly. Curious where this story would lead she sat back to listen.

"Well you see, me and mom, we got along just fine on our own but being an only child meant that I had to grow up pretty fast. I was taking care of myself at a very early age," Wash continued. "I used to take care of the housework and the shopping and by the time I was ten years old I was even cooking most of our meals" Wash smiled at that and caught Zoe's eyes.

"Not saying I was any _good_ at it though, just that I cooked what I could," he clarified and Zoe smiled and nodded at that. Wash wasn't known as a good cook, not by any stretch.

"Heck, there were even times when she would pull extra shifts at the plant and I'd spend some nights alone," Wash continued. Zoe became sad upon hearing that and her heart went to this man whom she'd married. She'd never realized all that he'd been through and felt very proud of him suddenly. A little boy shouldn't be asked to do all that he'd done and yet she knew that he took on those duties as the man of the house without complaint. It was his way and now she understood why it was so. This thought flitted through her mind quickly and she went back to listening to his story.

"Well mom had male 'friends' off and on over the years and one or two even came to live with us for a short while" Zoe found his expression unreadable with this utterance.

"One day after one such deadbeat had left her a few weeks before she comes home and tells me that it wasn't going to be just the two of us anymore" Zoe looked a little puzzled and Wash smiled.

"She was pregnant," he explained and she nodded her understanding and felt some sense of relief wash over her. From the moment he'd mentioned losing a child Zoe had been expecting to hear of an affair with a woman that she'd not yet heard about. But now she realized that this whole thing was about a younger sibling, not a child of his own. Her heart ached anew for the man before her and also for the little boy he had been. A little boy who had lost so much so soon.

"I was twelve years old and like I said already doing much on my own when the baby came so naturally I helped take care of him" Wash's eyes lit up with fond memories and he sat up, enjoying this part of the tale.

"Little Vincent Hoban Washburn. Mom gave him my first name as his middle name, said it would make us closer brothers," he shrugged "Not sure if it was true but I didn't mind, it was kind of shiny having someone named after me like that" Zoe smiled at his obvious enjoyment of having a little "Hoban" around.

"Well that little guy was actually the best thing to happen to us in a while. Mom used to joke that he was her "happy accident" and a truer phrase was never uttered," Wash said while looking somewhere over Zoe's head. She could see that he was in the past now, reliving happy moments.

"It wasn't just because of the fact that he made us happy, though" Wash continued, looking at Zoe now with laughter in his eyes "He was one of the happiest kids I'd ever seen. With mom working so much to take care of all of us, I watched Vince a lot. I fed him, changed him, bathed him, everything" Zoe couldn't help but to think of his seemingly magic touch with Caleb and thought how it all made sense now.

"I'm telling ya that kid had a smile on his face all of the time," Wash continued with bemused a shake of his head. After all these years he was still amazed by the wonders of his baby brother's immense enjoyment of life.

"Never was there an easier baby to care for, at least in my biased opinion" Wash laughed and Zoe joined in now. A happy giggling baby came to mind, one with Wash's stunning eyes and suddenly she found herself wanting to meet that child.

For a few moments Wash continued to remember happy times with his brother and a smile continued to play at his lips. But as Zoe watched him closely she could see the thoughts change to those less joyful and his face fell and grew grave once again.

"Then when he got to be about fifteen months old we started noticing he wasn't himself. He started to get more quiet and just wasn't as energetic. As soon as we noticed something was wrong, mom took him in to a doc but…." Wash's voice trailed off and Zoe wanted so badly to hold him but knew that he needed to get this out. "It was too late"

"He died about three weeks before Christmas actually," he said and Zoe's eyes filled with tears of their own. _No wonder he's been acting this way. Not only do we find us a child, but it has to be at this gorram time of year?_ She had hardened herself to the horrors and death of war. But this was something different and her carefully constructed inner barriers were of no use to her. They couldn't stop this new pain from going straight to her heart.

"What happened?" Zoe finally asked. Her voice barely above a whisper.

"The doctors were never sure" Wash replied with a sad shrug "They gave us some story about various infant diseases but deep down I think mother and I both had a feeling that it was something else," he said morosely.

"You see Zo, that planet we lived on was disgustingly polluted. Though at the time it was kept hushed; many talked about how it was making people sick. First it was mostly babies as they had smaller lungs and less antibodies to fight it off but soon lots of people were getting mysteriously ill," He told her.

"We left the planet not long after we lost the baby and I'm sure that it probably saved both our lives" Wash said in a voice wracked with guilt over surviving what his brother could not.

"But I don't think either of us got over losing him," he said and just when he'd thought he was finished with the pain of the story, more tears came to his eyes. He wiped them away in frustration but they came unbidden and there was nothing he could do now. Wash dropped his head into his hands and his shoulders shook with grief.

Unable to take it any longer, Zoe went to her husband and comforted him as best she could, crying out her own grief for a child she'd never met. She sat in his lap in the chair, pulling his head to her breast. She let him cry out the hurt and the pain for his loss and did nothing but sit there and stroke his hair. She had never known about any of this and she wondered just how long he'd held on to the secret. Something told her that he hadn't ever mentioned it to another soul and pain like that shouldn't be kept inside. It could eat away at a person and she was happy, for him, that he was letting it out now.

After a while Wash felt better and hugged Zoe closer to him, burying his face in her shoulder. His legs were getting numb from her sitting on them so long but he didn't mind it at all. He looked up at her and taking her face in his hands he kissed her gratefully. Then he gave her one of his great big grins to let her know he felt better.

"I'm sorry I never said anything," he said. "I don't really know why I kept that to myself for so long" He shook his head. "I think maybe I thought if I never said anything I'd forget about it and it wouldn't hurt so much"

"I understand," she replied. "Not that I want you to keep such things from me, mind," She said with a stern look. "I hope you'll just go ahead and tell me this kind of stuff so that we can work it out together, _dong-ma?"_

"I promise," Wash replied and found that he really meant it. He had been wandering around in a fog for the past day and realized he should have told Zoe about all of this so much earlier. It would have saved him a world of hurt.

They left their bunk and headed to the galley holding hands, smiling quietly at each other as they walked. Kaylee had just finished giving Caleb another bottle when the couple entered and she knew right away that they had fixed whatever had been broken. Kaylee thought of everything in life the same way she thought of engines. Everything was broken until it was fixed and right now she could see that Zoe and Wash were "fixed".

Mal saw it too when he entered a few minutes later for the evening meal. Zoe was sitting with Caleb on her lap and Wash was making silly faces at the baby. Caleb was giggling in that infections manner that only children seemed to be able to do and everyone was laughing along with him. Obviously they had worked everything out and Mal was grateful for that. He didn't like tension on his boat.

He was so relieved that when Mal sat down to eat he didn't even mind one mite when Shepherd Book bowed his head for a prayer. Shepherd gave thanks for the fine meal (Mal thought "fine" was a stretch but let the preacher have his say) and also for the safety that surely He had provided to the babe now at their table. Mal saw Zoe and Wash touch hands at those words and smile at each other tenderly.


	5. Chapter 5

_Hello All, _

_Well here is the final chapter and I hope everyone enjoys it! Thanks to everyone who has been giving reviews! I try to answer each one separately but I've been a little busy. They have helped me immensely in this story and it's thanks to you all that I keep going. _

_Happy Holidays everyone!_

_-Moki_

_-------------------_

Zoe woke up suddenly in the middle of the night and wondered why until she heard a whimper from the nearby cradle. After a couple of nights sleeping in their bed, Caleb now had a bed of his own thanks to his Auntie Kaylee. Rising quietly so as not to wake Wash (no need for both of them to be up, she figured), Zoe headed over to the baby.

"Hey there little one," she whispered as she picked him up. "Are you hungry?"

Taking the baby she climbed up the ladder out of the bunk (funny how easy it was getting to do that with one hand) and headed to the galley. Once there she went to the cold box and found the formula mixed by Simon earlier in the day. She was just looking around for a new bottle and nipple when she heard footsteps behind her.

"Doesn't that kid ever sleep?" Jayne asked as he crossed the threshold. He looked half asleep himself and yawned and stretched as he walked to the cabinets. He started rooting around until he found what he was looking for and then headed to the table.

"You ain't tellin' me that you heard this babe, are you Jayne?" Zoe asked incredulously. "He hardly makes a sound before me or Wash are up and feeding or changing him. I think he's probably about the quietest youngin' I've ever met"

"Nah, he didn't wake me up none" Jayne replied as he sat at the table eating from the packet he'd just pulled from the cabinet. "I couldn't sleep so I come in here to get me a snack is all." He had brought a couple of his guns with him and began pulling them apart to clean as he ate.

"Oh," Zoe replied and promptly went back to searching for a clean bottle. After a few moments she realized that there weren't any left and she would need to go to the infirmary. Simon was using a medical sterilizer for them and always had clean ones on hand. Zoe cursed herself for not making sure there were some stocked in the kitchen but there wasn't anything she could do about it now.

Deciding that he'd been just about as patient as he could for his meal, Caleb started crying distressfully.

"Oh little one don't be startin' that now," Zoe said comfortingly, bouncing the baby lightly on her hip. "I just need to get you a bottle" She started to take the baby with her but came up with a better idea.

"Jayne," Zoe said and the mercenary looked up at her. He had been hoping Zoe and the little "noisemaker" would leave soon but now he was surprised to see that she was instead bringing Caleb over to him.

"What?" Jayne asked suspiciously.

"Can you hold Caleb for a quick second while I go get him a new bottle? It won't take but a second and maybe you can keep him busy so he won't cry" Zoe replied and started to hand the baby over to the bigger man.

"Nah I don't know nothin' about babies," Jayne protested but Zoe had already put the baby in his lap. He held onto the little one like it was something about to explode and Zoe had to try really hard to keep from laughing at the sight.

"T'aint nothin' to know," she told him. "Just hold onto him and talk to him or something so he forgets about crying for a minute. I'll be right back"

She was out the door before Jayne could say another word and then he was left alone with a squalling infant on his knee. Thinking of what he'd seen Wash do he tried bouncing Caleb up and down lightly but it didn't work.

"Hey," he said and turned the baby around to face him. "Hey lookie here" Jayne started making stupid faces, sticking his tongue out and putting a finger in his nose and the like. But that didn't work and Jayne was about to run out of patience when he thought of something. Picking up one of his guns he showed it to Caleb and began telling him everything about it.

"Listen up Caleb now this here is one of my favorites," Jayne explained, holding up the smaller of the two weapons. Both were completely unloaded of course so felt safe enough with them. "I call this one Margaret and she's a fine one at that"

Miraculously this worked and Caleb stopped crying to look at Margaret as Jayne held her up for him to see. Jayne continued to extol Margaret's many virtues when Zoe walked back in the room. She found Caleb sitting happily in Jayne's lap looking at (but not touching, she noted) one of the other man's guns.

"See?" she said happily. "T'aint nothing to it."

Jayne didn't reply but kept telling Caleb about the guns. Within another minute Zoe had finished making his bottle and took the baby back to feed him.

Over the next few days Caleb proceeded to make his way around the entire ship. He spent hours with Kaylee being taught everything there was to know about a Firefly engine without actually getting anywhere near one. Kaylee knew better than to bring Caleb into the engine room, where it would be too dangerous for a small child. So instead she would bring him to her bunk or play with him in the galley, talking about engines the whole time.

He was tutored by Inara on the intricacies of making good tea and which musical instruments he should learn when he got older. Though, if you were to ask Caleb about this you'd probably find that his favorite part of visiting with Inara was napping on silk sheets.

River (with the ever-watchful Simon close by) carried him around and spoke to him in that unique way that was so very River-like. But he, perhaps more than anyone, understood her and could be found staring at her with big blue eyes as she whispered her secrets to him. The two of them had an immediate understanding of the other from the moment she'd first picked him up.

Shepherd Book would take the boy and read to him passages from his bible. Whether or not Caleb understood any of it, no one could be sure. But he seemed fascinated by the preacher's voice and would sit entranced as the preacher would weave tales of the past from his ever-present Book.

For his part, Jayne continued his tutelage of guns. Often he could be found at the galley table, holding the baby in his lap as he cleaned his menagerie of weapons. No bullets were ever present (of this Wash and Zoe had made sure), but guns there were a'plenty.

Mal even got used to the sight of walking onto the bridge and finding Caleb happily chewing on a toy dinosaur while Wash managed to pilot Serenity with one hand. Wash would tell Caleb all about the stars and how to fly as well as the names of all the many dinosaurs on the dash.

Zoe even arrived for a meeting with Mal with Caleb on her hip, a toy dinosaur clutched in his fist. She would do system checks and inventory with the baby and could be heard telling him why it was important to store the ammo in the middle of the ship and not near the outer hull.

Even the sometimes taciturn Mal could be found holding the baby when everyone was busy at a meal time or such. Little Caleb would pull at his suspenders and once even managed to pull hard enough to give Mal quite a snap on the shoulder. Mal laughed harder than anyone at that and announced that Caleb was going to be stronger than even Jayne someday.

Within a few days hardly anyone could remember what it had been like before a baby had joined the crew.

-------

It was the middle of the night and Wash was up with Caleb for a nighttime feeding. But the thing was that he'd already fed and changed Caleb and still the baby was crying. He walked back and forth in the galley (he had left the bunk so Zoe could sleep), rocking and trying to get Caleb to stop.

"What's up, eh?" Wash asked Caleb as he bounced the baby on his shoulder and patted him on the back. Nothing was working, not even a toy dino that Wash had found for him to chew.

Looking at the chrono on the wall Wash saw that it was after 3:00am ship's time and realized it was Christmas morning. Ever since his talk with Zoe he hadn't been thinking about the time of year and it's connection with his brother's death and was happy to see that today was no different. Apparently getting it all out in the open like that had done wonders and now Wash was simply enjoying the present without the horrors of the past to infringe upon him.

Well actually he was mostly enjoying the present. Except for the part with the screaming child in his arms, that is. Trying everything he could think of Wash finally sat down near the Christmas tree that the girls had decorated and started humming a little tune to the baby. Within a few moments Caleb stopped crying and listened intently.

"Oh, so you like that huh?" Wash asked the little on his knee. Thinking hard he remembered a Christmas song his mother had taught him and wanting to keep the baby occupied, began to sing it for him. It was called "Oh Holy Night" and Wash thought it fit.

Down in her bunk Zoe woke to find the room empty. She noted the time and thinking that Caleb was usually fed and back to sleep by now, went to investigate. The moment she opened the hatch to her bunk she heard a pleasant sound and smiled to herself as she continued up the ladder.

Zoe entered the galley just as Wash finished singing the song and she grinned at her husband.

"So did he like that?" Zoe asked as she sat next to them on the couch near the tree. She liked to hear Wash sing and was hoping she hadn't missed out on too much.

"Yeah I think so but I don't think he's anywhere near ready to go back to sleep yet'" Wash said with a sigh.

"Well then husband I think you should keep him entertained," Zoe said with a wink.

--------

Simon awoke to an odd sound. Lying in his bunk he strained his ears to figure it out and suddenly realized it was the sound of someone singing. He thought he recognized the tune but couldn't put his finger on it. Climbing out of bed he opened his door and came face to face with River.

"Songs of joy, Santa is coming," River said and began pulling on Simon's arm to lead him out of the passenger area. They walked through the galley to the lounge and Simon stopped in his tracks when he realized that the singing (rather good singing actually) was coming from none other than Wash. He had a pleasant tenor voice and Simon found himself suitably impressed.

Zoe looked up when Simon and River walked in and almost laughed out loud at the look on Simon's face. These two were still rather new aboard Serenity and didn't know that her husband had some musical talent to go along with that flying talent of his. It amused her to no end when new people discovered Wash's singing and she was enjoying it now.

Simon finally got over his shock and sat with River on one of the other couches to listen. He and River joined in for the chorus of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and everyone laughed when Caleb decided to do his best and happily "sing" along with them.

After a while Mal woke up as well and joined the motley group and did his best to remember some good songs himself. "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" was a particular favorite of his though unknown by everyone else. Mal taught them all and soon everyone was able to join in on it.

When Kaylee arrived she wanted Wash to sing one of her favorites and proceeded to teach him and everyone else "Christmas in Killarny". It had been a favorite of her family's and apparently dated all the way back to their ancestors on Earth That Was.

The last two to join in were Jayne and Shepherd Book but they too brought along songs of their own. Jayne gave a rousing rendition of "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" that had Kaylee and River giggling fit to be tied. Book sang "The Little Drummer Boy" with everyone doing the "Pa rum pum pum pum's" with him.

By the time the real morning came everyone was jubilantly enjoying the holiday and soon the presents started coming out from under the tree. There were lots of laughs and hugs as people got what they wanted or things they never expected.

"Thanks hon," Wash was saying as he held up a thick sweater from his wife. It was a light brown and Zoe said she thought it matched his hair. Wash secretly thought it was kind of a "girly" sweater but kissed his wife gratefully for the thoughtful gift. He put it on at her insistence and he could tell that both Kaylee and Inara thought it looked nice on him. Maybe he was wrong about it after all if the womenfolk liked it.

After the presents had been exchanged, everyone helped out to make the Christmas feast.

Inara and Simon were in charge but just about every person aboard chipped in with the preparation. After getting another bottle Caleb was put down for a nap which allowed everyone to eat at the same time. So once the food was ready, everyone sat down to a fine meal and ate and ate until they couldn't eat anymore. After that they talked and joked and had a fine time.

When Caleb woke sometime later River went to him and picked him up. She took him to sit beside the tree and softly she began singing to him. As everyone heard her they stopped what they were doing and turned to listen. They hadn't heard her sing like this before and with a simply beautiful voice she was singing "What Child Is This?"

Her voice was clear and needed no accompaniment to touch everyone straight to the soul. When she finished she went straight into "Away in a Manger" as silence reined. Kaylee found a tear running down her eye when she got to the part about the "the cattle are lowing, the poor baby wakes but little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes". That part always made her sniffle; she was never sure why.

Mal was standing the closest to the galley door and therefore the only one to hear the alarm go off on the bridge. Seeing how everyone else was so entranced he left quietly on his own to investigate and in fact no one even noticed him leave.

When River finished singing everyone clapped and she looked up in surprise at the noise. She had obviously been in a world of her own and Simon quickly went to give her some reassurance. They were all settling back down around the tree when Mal reentered.

"Hey folks," he began uncertainly. "The proximity alarm just went off so I went to see what it was"

Wash looked up worriedly but Mal put up a hand to relieve his fears. "Nothing to worry about Wash, we're still flying fine'" he said and Wash looked noticeably relieved.

"Turns out it's the family of this here youngin'," he continued. "Seems his kin found out where we were and they was so worried that they took it upon themselves to get on a shuttle and come out here and meet us. They'll be here in about ten minutes"

Everyone was dumbfounded at these words and no one said anything for a while. They had gotten so used to Caleb's presence that everyone had sort of conveniently forgotten that he wasn't actually a child of anyone on board.

River was the first to move and quietly got up and handed the baby to Wash. Zoe went to her husband as she knew this moment was going to be harder on him than anyone. Putting an arm around Wash she looked down at Caleb and spoke to him.

"Well little one, it sure has been nice gettin' to know you," she said and kissed the baby on the forehead. Once she did this everyone else lined up to say goodbye.

One by one each person on Serenity walked up to the baby held securely in Wash's arms and said their farewells. Inara, Kaylee and River tried to hold back their tears for the baby's sake but each found it too hard. After saying goodbye himself, Simon held his sister as she cried. He looked up and found that Inara was doing the same on Mal's shoulder and Kaylee was crying into Jayne's chest, the big man doing his best to comfort her but succeeding only in patting her shoulder awkwardly.

When the proximity alarm went off again Mal went to arrange the docking of the two ships. He did this himself to give Wash and Zoe another few minutes with the child they had worked so hard to care for in these past few days. He was right proud of the two of them and felt that they had done a great job with the baby. He knew they would miss him something terrible and wanted to give them a little more time with him.

Wash carried Caleb to the cargo bay and waited with his wife by the outer airlock for it to open. Zoe had her arm through his and they stood alone for a few minutes as the ships were connected. Thinking that the couple needed to do this alone, everyone else had stayed in the galley after saying their own goodbyes.

"Alright Caleb," Wash finally decided that he had to say his farewells before it was too late. "Your family has come to get you. It's been really nice taking care of you but now it's time for you to go back to your kin. I'm sure they miss you and I know you'll be happy with them"

Wash held Caleb up in front of him and the baby looked him in the eyes as he spoke. Then he kissed the baby on the head and hugged him to his chest for a moment. Zoe followed suit and wrapped her arms around both of them, doing her best not to cry just yet.

Suddenly there were some loud clangs and the door opened in front of them. A man and woman about the same age as Zoe and Wash entered and immediately headed towards them excitedly.

"I can't believe it! Caleb! He's okay! Oh Marshall, can you believe he's alright?" The woman asked of the man who was apparently her husband.

"Yes that's quite a boy your sister had, Katherine" the man replied, smiling at the baby and nodding a greeting at Wash and Zoe.

"We simply can't thank you enough for caring for him. When we heard of my sister and her family passing away we were devastated," Katherine said sadly.

"But then we got word that our Godson here had somehow miraculously survived and we had to come get him just as soon as we could," Marshall continued.

"Well you definitely have a fine strong boy here," Wash said and though no one but Zoe would have noticed it, it was with much reluctance that he then handed over the baby.

After a few more words of thanks the couple took Caleb and went back to their ship. Within minutes they were gone and suddenly Serenity felt very empty and much too quiet to everyone aboard.

Zoe and Wash were in the cockpit together and Zoe was on her husband's lap. She was allowing herself a few tears now that they were alone and Wash was rubbing her back in comfort. It was a way to keep his own mind off the loss he felt.

No words were spoken between them but they both knew that someday in the not too distant future they were going to start talking about having a child of their own. Not necessarily soon as each knew the other didn't want to think of "replacing" a child that had grown so close their hearts so fast, but soon enough. Someday another baby would make its way into the hearts of the crew.

All thanks to a little boy who came to visit Serenity at Christmas.

The End


End file.
